Israel’s advance into Rafah and seizure of a crucial border crossing on Tuesday has sparked worldwide debate and criticism as about 1.4 million civilians seeking shelter in the southern Gaza city were caught in the middle of potential invasion.
Israel started launching precise attacks in eastern Rafah on Monday night before taking control of the Gaza side of the Rafah crossing, which is the only entry point between Gaza and Egypt and an important route for humanitarian aid.
This happened shortly after approximately 100,000 Palestinians in eastern Rafah were told to evacuate immediately, and Israeli bombs began falling on residential areas.
The U.S. ally proceeded with the attack after stating terms for a cease-firethat Hamas agreed to on Monday were far from meeting its demands, and instead pledged to exert military pressure on Hamas in Rafah.
Officials from the Biden administration on Tuesday affirmed that they trusted Israeli assurances that the operation was limited and aimed to prevent Hamas from transporting weapons into Rafah.
However, other international leaders, including the United Nations chief, have stated that any attack on Rafah would cause a humanitarian crisis and urged both sides to immediately agree to a cease-fire.
Here are the main points to understand from this situation.
The military significance of Rafah for Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has portrayed Israel’s military operation in Rafah as a way to both free the remaining hostages in Gaza and ultimately eliminate Hamas.
“The entrance to Rafah serves two main goals in the conflict: The release of our hostages and the removal of Hamas,” Netanyahu stated in a video on Tuesday, announcing that the Israeli military began operations overnight.
He added that “military pressure on Hamas is necessary for the release of our hostages,” accusing Hamas of trying to sabotage the entry of Israeli forces into Rafah with its agreement to the cease-fire proposal. This did not happen.”
There are an estimated 133 Israeli hostages still in Gaza, but it’s unknown how many are alive or under Hamas control.
Israel has demanded the evacuation of 40 of the most vulnerable hostages — children, women, the elderly, and the injured — as part of the first phase of any cease-fire deal. However, Hamas negotiators have indicated they do not have nearly enough people in those categories to reach that number.
Another obstacle to reaching an agreement is the duration of a cease-fire. Hamas wants the pause to ultimately end the war, while Israel aims to only halt its fighting long enough to secure the hostages before eliminating Hamas from Gaza.
Rafah is the critical point in the crisis, with Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz stating that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operations in the city will “continue and expand as necessary.”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, on the other hand, declared on Tuesday that his country’s advancement into Gaza will continue until Hamas is eradicated in Rafah and across the territory, or until the last hostage is freed.
It risks involving Egypt
An invasion of Rafah also poses a risk of involving Egypt in the conflict, which would further strain an already volatile region.
Egypt, with the United States and Qatar, has been working for weeks on a truce proposal between Israel and Hamas to secure the release of Israeli hostages.
Egypt has a special interest in brokering such a deal because it shares a border with Gaza and wants to prevent Palestinian refugees from entering its territory.
However, Egypt's foreign ministry criticized Israel on Tuesday for closing the Rafah border crossing, describing the action as a "dangerous escalation."
The ministry stated that the closure endangers the liv